Fuente Boxing Union: 1920's Heavies

[fuente51]

January 14, 1920

New York, NEW YORK
James J. Walker has passed a bill legalizing boxing in the state of New York.

The newly formed Fuente Boxing Commission will oversee a 16 man tournament of the best and brightest of the world’s heavyweights. There will be a 15 bout tournament over the course of 1920 to name a single champion.

The FBC will be based in Cincinnati, Ohio (away from the gamblers, swindlers and cheats in New York), and will recognize a World’s Champion in 1920. Next year, regional belts will be contested in the following groups:

United States Boxing Association (USBA): Harry Wills, Billy Miske, Fred Fulton, Jack Dempsey, Jack Downey.

Europe and Africa Boxing Union (EABU): Georges Carpentier, Joe Beckett, Bob Devere, Charley Weinert

Asia-Pacific Boxing Association (APBA): George Cook, Tom Heeney

Americas Boxing Union (ABU): Arthur Pelkey, Luis Firpo, Jack Renault, Roleaux Saguero


Editor's Note: my last project exploded out of my control and was too large for me to manage. The winter months are when I have the most time to to TBCB, so this is a much more manageable project which I can control to my liking.

[fuente51]

January 14, 1920

Beginners:
There are currently 33 professional fighters in the Beginner group. Beginners fight only TC’s, and are active in 40% of the months. Promotion to Club status occurs at December 31 of each year when the commission reviews each fighter’s previous year. Beginners fight 8 rounds.

Club:
There are currently 36 professional fighters in the Club group. Club fighters fight in 36% of the months, and have a 50/50 chance to fight a TC or another Club fighter. Promotion to Main occurs at December 31 of each year, when the commission reviews the fighter’s activity over the previous 12 months and decides if the fighter gets the privilege to move up to Main. Club fighters fight 10 rounds.

Main:
There are currently 24 professional fighters (subject to change in future years) in the Main group. Main fighters fight in 25% of the months, and only fight other Main fighters. Inclusion in this group is at the sole discretion of the FBC, but this is where they all want to be. Main fighters fight 12 rounds. Championship fights will be 15 rounds and will occur within the rules of the Main group, even if the challenger is not.

[fuente51]

Up to this point in time, the fighters have fought mostly TC’s with the older fighters having a few more fights against quality competition. For all fighters, this will be a big step up, and will separate the men from the boys.

Scheduled First Round Bouts:

January, 1920
(1) Harry Wills 39-0-0 (35) vs. (16) Bob Devere 20-2-0 (13)
Common opponent: Jack Moran. Wills W KO1; Devere W UD10. Odds 3-1 Wills.

(8) Charles Horn 32-3-0 (24) vs. (9) Ralph Brooks 23-0-1 (5)
No common opponents. Odds even.

a/m winners to face each other in round 2

(5) Jack Dempsey 21-0-0 (21) vs. (12) Sam Berger 27-5-1 (20)
No common opponents. Odds 3-1 Dempsey.

(4) Georges Carpentier 31-2-0 (30) vs. (13) Jess Willard 33-6-0 (26)
Common opponent: Jack Downey. Carpentier W KO4; Willard L SD10. Odds 3-2 Carpentier.

a/m winners to face each other in round 2

February, 1920
(3) Fred Fulton 26-1-2 (22) vs. (14) Carl Morris 32-3-1 (29)
No common opponent. Odds: 3-2 Morris.

(6) Jack Downey 29-3-1 (12) vs. (11) Bill Brennan 20-2-0 (16)
Common opponent: Georges Carpentier. Downey L KO4; Brennan W TKO8. Odds: 2-1 Brennan.

a/m winners to face each other in round 2

(2) Billy Miske 27-0-0 (16) vs. (15) Joe Beckett 27-4-0 (22)
Common opponent: Sam Berger. Miske W TKO5; Beckett L TKO7. Odds: 5-2 Miske

(7) Luther McCarty 28-1-1 (22) vs. (10) Tom Kennedy 34-7-0 (5)
No common opponents. Odds: 3-1 McCarty.

a/m winners to face each other in round 2

[mh2365]

Hmmm Fuente ... slight recollection of who you are .. didn't we have lunch once??? LOL ... welcome back!

[fuente51]

Thanks. I've been putting some hours into this, so I'll plow along here shortly.

[fuente51]

January 24, 1920

(8) Charles Horn 32-3-0 (24) vs. (9) Ralph Brooks 23-0-1 (5)
Lots of action here as the early rounds went back-and-forth. Halfway through the fight, after 6, the undefeated Brooks looked to be taking control. In the 9th, though, a mouse started to form under Brooks’ right eye, and Horn started to mount a comeback, which peaked in the 11th, when Brooks was in danger of being knocked out. As they came into the 12th, there were no knockdowns, and I had Brooks up by one round. Brooks did enough to get by in the 12th, though, with dominating round. Brooks won on a majority decision, 115-113, 115-114, 114-114.

(1) Harry Wills 39-0-0 (35) vs. (16) Bob Devere 20-2-0 (13)
It was all-Wills, all-night here, as Devere put on a game show, but wasn’t man enough. Wills knocked Devere down in the 4th, 7th and 11th, but Devere kept getting up, much to the frustration of Harry Wills. Wills finally won on a TKO in the 12th, after knocking Devere down three more times.

Wills will take on Brooks in April in the quarterfinals.

[fuente51]

January 31, 1920

(4) Georges Carpentier 31-2-0 (30) vs. (13) Jess Willard 33-6-0 (26)
Carpentier came out strong, but must not have conditioned well. After the first 2 rounds going to Carpentier, Willard took over, dominating the next 6 rounds. Carpentier felt desperation and came out in the 9th round with an all-or-nothing attitude. Willard was knocked out on his feet, and the ref stopped the fight with a TKO for Carpentier in the 9th. At the time of the knockout, I had Willard ahead, 78-74.

(5) Jack Dempsey 21-0-0 (21) vs. (12) Sam Berger 27-5-1 (20)
Berger walked into the ring, looking like a marked man. Berger’s trainer talked some sense into him, and after he realized he was standing after 3 rounds, Berger started to fight back. In the 4th round, Berger controlled the action well. That continued into the start of the 5th round, when Berger clouted Dempsey with a blow that opened up a cut above Dempsey’s eye. The referee stopped the fight to a near-riot at MadisonSquareGarden. Sam Berger over Jack Dempsey TKO5 (cuts). Dempsey is out of the tournament!

Carpentier, who had come back out to watch the fight after the showers, was seen smiling widely on his way out of the arena, as he ducked the flying bottles and chairs. Carpentier will face Berger in April.

[mh2365]

Charles Horn has struggled in the early going of the LBA ... He is 11-2-1 with KO loses to Martin Neary and Jim McCormick.

[Ian Lord]

I'll be following along with this. Good to see you back.

[Romdawg88]

Wow, I'm shocked to see Dempsey get knocked out of the first round of the tournament.

[fuente51]

Originally Posted by Romdawg88

Wow, I'm shocked to see Dempsey get knocked out of the first round of the tournament.

So was I. He was the highest ranked fighter in the tournament.

Mike: Charles Horn's record was pretty fat from TC's. It was a concession I made to advance these fighters quickly through the 1910's and get to 1920.

[fuente51]

February 14, 1920

(6) Jack Downey 29-3-1 (12) vs. (11) Bill Brennan 20-2-0 (16)
The first few rounds of this bout were so boring it was hard to keep score. Downey was “kinda” winning, but neither was doing much. Things didn’t get better through the middle and late rounds. The crowd was booing and asking for the main event to hurry up and start. Not that anybody noticed, but Downey won a unanimous decision in a mild upset over the favored Brennan. I hope the lovebirds had a nice St. Valentine’s Day.

(3) Fred Fulton 26-1-2 (22) vs. (14) Carl Morris 32-3-1 (29)
Fulton wasn’t messing around. After a dominating first round, he knocked out Morris in the 2nd.

Downey will face Fulton in the quarterfinals in May.

[fuente51]

February 28, 1920

(7) Luther McCarty 28-1-1 (22) vs. (10) Tom Kennedy 34-7-0 (5)
This one pretty much went as planned. McCarty knocked down Kennedy twice in the 8th, twice in the 10th, and the ref. stopped the bout in the 10th when Kennedy dropped his arms. McCarty won TKO10.

(2) Billy Miske 27-0-0 (16) vs. (15) Joe Beckett 27-4-0 (22)
Miske’s put his unblemished record to the test against Beckett. Miske controlled most of the early rounds. He knocked Beckett down in the 8th, but couldn’t close it. The action slowed down in the 9th through the 12th, as neither fighter could summon the strength to finish with any authority. In the end, it was Miske’s day, with a unanimous decision, 115-112, 119-108, 119-108. The first judge must have been on the take!

Miske will take on Luther McCarty in May.

[Lee]

Have to think the Miske/McCarty winner will be champ...good stuff Fuente.

[fuente51]

March featured no major bouts. We move on to April, 1920.

(#1 seed) Harry Wills 40-0-0 (36) vs. (#9) Ralph Brooks 24-0-1 (5)
Odds: 2-1 for Wills

(#12) Sam Berger 28-5-1 (21) vs. (#4) Georges Carpentier 32-2-0 (31)
Odds: 2-1 for Carpentier

[mh2365]

Pretty impressive record for Wills

[fuente51]

Originally Posted by mh2365

Pretty impressive record for Wills

Yeah; he hasn't fought Dempsey, but has taken on all comers.

April 10, 1920

(#1) Harry Wills 41-0-0 (36) vs. (#9) Ralph Brooks 24-1-1 (5)
Wills was the one they all came to see, and he lived up to his billing as a true professional. Taking his time, and picking his spots, Wills dismantled the undefeated Brooks. He ignored the ringside demands to “Knock ‘em out!” and easily took the unanimous decision, 119-106, 118-108, 118-107.

(#12) Sam Berger 28-6-1 (21) vs. (#4) Georges Carpentier 33-2-0 (32)
After a lazy showing in his first tournament bout, Carpentier was expected to be dominating. He knocked down Berger in the 2nd, but Berger was saved by the bell. Berger started to get some swelling under his right eye in the 3rd, and suffered a severe cut under his left eye in the 5th. The ref stopped the bloodbath in the 9th round, as Berger’s face looked like so much chopped meat. Carpentier won, TKO9.

Harry Wills will face Geroges Carpentier in an August matchup.

Above records are post-bout.

[fuente51]

(#3 seed) Fred Fulton 27-1-1 (23) vs. (#6) Jack Downey 30-3-1 (12)
Odds: 2-1 Fulton

(#2) Billy Miske 28-0-0 (16) vs. (#7) Luther McCarty 29-1-1 (23)
Odds: Even (?!)

[Tommysixfingers]

This has started in a promising way. I'll follow along for sure.

[fuente51]

Originally Posted by Tommysixfingers

This has started in a promising way. I'll follow along for sure.

Thanks, Tommy.

May 15, 1920

(#3) Fred Fulton 27-1-1 (23) vs. (#6) Jack Downey 30-3-1 (12)
Downey had a lot of problems with a cut above his right eye. His corner worked it well, but it was a distraction. However, Downey kept taking rounds here and there, and Fulton couldn’t find the kayo he was looking for. I had Downey up by 2 rounds after 11, but Fulton knocked Downey down in the 12th. When Downey got up, Fulton assaulted him again and again. The ref seemed on the verge of stopping the fight, but with only a minute left, he let them go. I had it 114-114 after 12, with Downey looking like a Picasso painting. The refs had it 114-113 Fulton, 115-113 Downey, 113-113 even: a draw.

(#2) Billy Miske 28-0-0 (16) vs. (#7) Luther McCarty 29-1-1 (23)
Miske knocked McCarty down 10 seconds into the bout. McCarty spent the rest of the first on the run, much to the dismay of the crowd, but he escaped the first round. Unfortunately, the second round was waiting for him… and the third… and the fourth. McCarty just wouldn’t go down, and Miske was terrorizing him! Miske got sloppy in the 5th, however, when McCarty threw a blind right and put Miske down for a 9-count, evening the knockdowns at 1 apiece. McCarty was knocked down again in the 7th, and McCarty ran in the 8th. Feeling the desperation, McCarty came out in the 9th. Miske couldn’t repel McCarty’s slugging. McCarty had Miske against the ropes, and the ref stopped the fight in a TKO9 for McCarty. I had Miske up 78-71 through 8 rounds (losing only the 5th when he got knocked down).

Now Dempsey and Miske are both out of the race for World’s Heavyweight Champion (my top 2 picks). Fulton and Downey will have to fight again in June; an 8 round bout.

#1 Wills, #4 Carpentier and #7 McCarty have all reached the semifinals.